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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsYes—but only within the same ARK game. ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) supports cross-platform play between PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 when everyone joins an official or dedicated unofficial server configured to allow those platforms. ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) is a separate product and does not crossplay with ASA.
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For a persistent mixed PC-and-console group, use an official server or a dedicated unofficial server. On ASA, the server launch setting -ServerPlatform=ALL enables the documented PC (Steam and Windows Store), Xbox and PlayStation pool. ASE has a different, narrower arrangement: Epic and Steam clients can use a dedicated server started with -crossplay and a configured PublicIPForEpic=<IPAddress>.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
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ARK: Survival Ascended - PlayStation 5 | $27.51 | Buy on Amazon |
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Ark Survival Evolved Playstation 4 PS4 PS5 Dinosaurs Hunting - Free Shipping! | $39.00 | Buy on Amazon |
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What “ARK crossplay” actually means
ARK has two separately sold games with different server technology. Crossplay is not a universal switch shared by both titles, so identify the exact game before changing a server setting.
ARK: Survival Ascended
ASA is the version with the documented PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 cross-platform pool. Studio Wildcard announced that players on “Xbox Series S/X, PlayStation 5, and PC (Windows/Steam)” can play together. A server still controls which of those platforms may connect, and all players must be running the same game build.
#1 Best Overall
- ARK: Survival Ascended has completely recreated and redesigned the artwork and worlds of ARK to take advantage of the latest in videogame technology, Unreal Engine 5, using high-end graphics features such as fully dynamic Global Illumination (“Lumen”), so that light bounces realistically of off surfaces and provides realistic reflections, and advanced mesh streaming (“Nanite”) of hundreds of millions of triangles for extreme detail.
- Advanced new physics systems such as dynamic water so that every creature creates waves, ripples, splashes, and bubbles as they move through fluids, and fully interactive physical foliage where every blade of grass, bush, and tree reacts to characters, explosions, projectiles, and physics objects.
- ARK: Survival Ascended includes access to all of ARK’s worlds, including Scorched Earth, Aberration, Extinction, ARK Genesis Part 1, ARK Genesis Part 2, and more. The Island is released now, with the subsequent expansion worlds to be added at no additional cost on a regular basis.
- Thorough Quality of Life revamps in every area: redesigned User Interfaces, dynamic navigation for intelligent creature pathfinding, Wild Babies, Photo Mode, new Camera systems, new Map system, Tracking System, new Structures and Items, new Creatures, and much more.
- Cross-Platform Modding: Download & play new custom content created by players, including new maps, creatures, items, and game modes, through a dedicated new Mod-bowser directly within the game! Enjoy an endless stream of new ARK content as the creativity and talent of the community is fully unleashed for the first time ever across gaming platforms!
ARK: Survival Evolved
ASE cannot join an ASA world, and an ASA player cannot join an ASE world. ASE does have a dedicated-server crossplay option for Epic Games Store and Steam clients. That option uses -crossplay and requires the server’s public Epic address setting. It should not be described as the same PC-plus-console crossplay pool documented for ASA.
Which platforms can share a server?
| Game | Documented cross-platform combination | Server requirement | Important limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARK: Survival Ascended | PC (Steam and Windows Store), Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5 | Official server or dedicated unofficial server configured with -ServerPlatform; -ServerPlatform=ALL is the broad setting |
ASA and ASE remain separate games; server filters, anti-cheat policy and patch level can still block a client |
| ARK: Survival Evolved | Epic Games Store and Steam clients on a dedicated server | Launch with -crossplay and set PublicIPForEpic=<IPAddress> |
This is not the ASA console crossplay arrangement |
“PC” is not one technical client in every case. ASA’s documented ALL value includes Steam and Windows Store clients as well as Xbox and PlayStation. If you need a narrower pool, use the platform list supported by your server software rather than assuming that a PC-only setting will admit console players.
Choose the right server for a mixed-platform group
A friend-hosted session and a persistent dedicated world are different things. A console can join a dedicated server, but it is not normally the machine that runs the always-on server process. For players on different platforms, choose one of these arrangements:
| Server type | Best for | Administration | Availability and backups | Crossplay considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official server | Groups that want to play without operating a server | Studio-controlled settings and rules; little player administration | Availability follows the official service; you do not control the backup schedule | Join an official server whose game, platform pool, PvE/PvP rules and patch version suit the group |
| Rented unofficial dedicated server | Groups wanting a persistent private or community world without maintaining hardware | Use the host’s control panel for the ASA platform flag, updates, mods and access controls | Confirm the provider’s backup retention, restore process, update timing and stated uptime before paying | The panel must expose the correct ASA -ServerPlatform setting and support the required console and PC clients |
| Self-hosted dedicated server | Administrators who need maximum control over files, rules and maintenance | You install, patch, secure, monitor and troubleshoot the process and network | You design the backup and recovery plan and must keep the host machine and connection available | Use the game-specific launch flag and verify that the public server is visible to every platform |
For most mixed PC/console groups, a rented or official dedicated server is the practical choice. Self-hosting is worthwhile when you can maintain a suitable Windows or Linux machine, open the required network access, monitor failures and restore a world from backup. A server that is technically crossplay-capable is not useful if it is offline whenever the owner’s PC is asleep.
ASA crossplay setup: the complete workflow
1. Confirm that every player owns ASA
- Ask each player to identify the title shown in their library or console game list.
- Make sure everyone has ARK: Survival Ascended, not ARK: Survival Evolved. The two games use different servers and cannot share a world.
- Confirm the console generation. The documented ASA console platforms are Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5. Do not promise compatibility for an older console from the general “Xbox” or “PlayStation” label.
- Have everyone update before attempting to connect. A client on a different patch can fail to find or join a server even when the platform setting is correct.
2. Pick an official or dedicated unofficial server
For an official server, filter by the ASA game mode and look for a server that permits the platforms your group uses. For an unofficial server, decide whether to rent one or run it yourself. A non-dedicated friend session is not the normal persistent-server solution for a mixed-platform group; use a dedicated process so the world remains available independently of one player’s game session.
3. Install the dedicated server software
Community server documentation covers SteamCMD-based deployment and Windows or Linux operation. Follow the instructions for the operating system you selected, and keep the server files separate from your save backups and configuration backups.
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- Brand new UK Import PAL version. Game in English. UK PSN store account required to use any online features
- Windows: install the dedicated-server files with the documented SteamCMD or Windows procedure, then create a repeatable launch shortcut or script.
- Linux: verify that the distribution provides glibc 2.17 or newer, the minimum called out in the community setup documentation. Confirm that the service account can read and write the server and save directories.
- Either operating system: reserve enough storage for the installation, world saves, logs and mod downloads, and plan for operating-system and server updates.
4. Set the ASA platform pool
Add the platform argument to the dedicated-server launch configuration:
-ServerPlatform=ALLThe documented ALL value enables PC (Steam and Windows Store), Xbox and PlayStation clients. If your group deliberately excludes a platform, use the narrower platform-list syntax supported by your server version and hosting panel. Do not remove the argument and assume that a private server will automatically accept every client type.
5. Start the server and verify its identity
- Start the dedicated process with the ASA game mode and your chosen
-ServerPlatformvalue. - Wait for the process to finish loading the map and report that it is listening. The exact log wording varies with the server build and operating system.
- From a PC client, search the correct unofficial or official server list. On console, use the in-game browser and the same server category and filters.
- Check the server name, map, PvE/PvP mode, password requirement and version before inviting the group.
- Have one PC player and one console player test a join before investing time in character or base transfers. This catches a platform filter or visibility problem early.
6. Give players a reliable way to find it
Share the exact server name, game version, map, mode, password process and whether mods are required. Names that contain unusual punctuation can be difficult to search on a console keyboard, so provide a distinctive plain-text portion of the name as well. If the server is not listed, troubleshoot visibility before changing unrelated gameplay settings.
ASA mods on a cross-platform server
ASA supports cross-platform mod delivery: PC-created mods can be delivered to consoles through Studio Wildcard’s custom modding backend and in-game user mod browser. That removes the old assumption that every console player must manually copy PC mod files, but it does not make every mod universally compatible.
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- Check that the mod is available in ASA’s in-game browser and can be downloaded by each target platform.
- Read the mod’s notes for server-side requirements, map restrictions and platform exclusions.
- Install and test it on a separate world or during a planned maintenance window before adding it to an established save.
- Back up the world and configuration before changing the mod list. Removing a mod can remove its items or structures from a save.
- Keep the server and client mod versions aligned after updates; a client that cannot download a required mod will not finish joining.
When a mixed group cannot connect after a mod change, temporarily return to the last known-good mod list. Test with no optional mods, then add them one at a time to identify the incompatible item instead of repeatedly changing several variables.
ASE Epic–Steam crossplay setup
ASE uses a different configuration from ASA. For a dedicated server intended to let Epic Games Store and Steam clients play together:
- Confirm that every player owns ASE. An ASE server will not accept ASA clients.
- Install and run the ASE dedicated server using the Windows or Linux procedure appropriate to your deployment.
- Add the crossplay launch argument:
-crossplay- Set the public address that Epic clients should use:
PublicIPForEpic=<IPAddress>- Replace
<IPAddress>with the server’s reachable public IP address, then restart the server and test with one Epic and one Steam client.
This configuration describes Epic/Steam dedicated-server crossplay. Do not copy the ASE flags into an ASA command line or expect them to enable ASA’s PC, Xbox and PlayStation pool.
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Why a player cannot see or join the server
Crossplay failures are often filtering or version problems rather than a missing invite. Work through these checks in order.
The server is invisible to everyone
- Confirm the process is running and has completed map loading.
- Check that the server is listed under the correct game, map, mode and official/unofficial category.
- Verify the network address, firewall rule and port-forwarding arrangement used by the server host.
- Check whether a password, whitelist or maximum-player limit is preventing the search result or join.
- Review the server log for a startup error, failed mod download or an update that did not complete.
PC players can join, but console players cannot
- Verify that the ASA launch configuration contains
-ServerPlatform=ALLor the appropriate console-inclusive platform list. - Check that the console is Xbox Series X|S or PlayStation 5 and that the player owns ASA.
- Remove restrictive platform filters in the server browser and repeat the search.
- Confirm that the console client has downloaded every required mod and is on the same patch.
- Check anti-cheat policy. A server may intentionally exclude a client type while its operator resolves an anti-cheat issue.
One platform stopped working after an update
Server and client patches must line up. Stop the server, apply the server update, allow clients to update, then start it again. Do not restore an old executable over a newer save without a tested backup. If an official server has a platform-specific restriction, the operator’s announcement takes precedence over a local reinstall.
Windows ASA PvP restriction
Studio Wildcard has documented a temporary restriction on certain ASA Official PvP servers: “We’ve made the difficult decision to temporarily disable Windows clients from joining our crossplay Official PvP servers while we collaborate with Microsoft and BattlEye to implement robust anticheat measures for the Windows version of the game.” This means a Windows player can be blocked by an official-server policy even when the server otherwise supports crossplay. It is not evidence that the ASA platform flag is wrong on an unofficial server.
A modded server hangs during connection
- Compare the required mod list on the server with the client’s downloaded list.
- Check the mod author’s current platform and server-version notes.
- Restart the client after a large mod update so the browser refreshes its local files.
- Test a clean connection without optional mods, then re-enable compatible mods individually.
Administration, backups and uptime
Crossplay is only one part of operating a useful server. Decide who has administrative access, how changes are recorded and how the world is recovered after a failure.
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- Keep a written record of the launch arguments, map, difficulty, server name, password policy and mod order.
- Schedule maintenance for game and mod updates instead of updating during a play session.
- Monitor storage, memory, CPU load and log growth on a self-hosted machine.
- Limit administrative credentials to trusted people and change them when a manager leaves the group.
- Tell players when a restart, wipe, mod change or rule change is planned.
Backups that are actually useful
- Stop or quiesce the server before taking a full save backup so files are not copied mid-write.
- Keep several dated generations rather than overwriting one backup.
- Store at least one copy on a different disk or machine from the live server.
- Back up configuration and mod lists along with world saves; a save without its settings may not restore the intended game.
- Periodically perform a test restore on a separate directory. A backup that has never been restored is only an assumption.
What to check with a hosting provider
If you rent a server, confirm that its control panel exposes the ASA platform setting, supports the map and player count you need, handles server and mod updates, offers usable backups and allows you to restore them. Also check how quickly the provider applies game patches and how it communicates planned downtime. Those operational details determine whether a technically crossplay-capable server remains playable after an update.
Crossplay decision checklist
- Everyone owns the same game: ASA with ASA, or ASE with ASE.
- For ASA, the group’s clients are PC (Steam or Windows Store), Xbox Series X|S and/or PlayStation 5.
- The server is official or a dedicated unofficial server, not merely a temporary friend-hosted session.
- ASA uses
-ServerPlatform=ALLor an intentional platform list that includes every player. - ASE Epic/Steam crossplay uses
-crossplayandPublicIPForEpic=<IPAddress>. - Server and clients are on the same patch and use compatible anti-cheat settings.
- Every required ASA mod is available to every target platform and has been tested with a backup.
- The owner has a restart plan, documented settings and tested world backups.
Bottom line
ASA is crossplay between PC, Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5 when an official or dedicated unofficial server permits those platforms. Set an ASA dedicated server to -ServerPlatform=ALL for the broad documented pool, then verify visibility, patch level, anti-cheat policy and mod compatibility with a PC and console test account. ASE is a separate game; its Epic/Steam dedicated-server option requires -crossplay plus PublicIPForEpic=<IPAddress> and should not be confused with ASA’s console crossplay.
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